Time to try Butterick 6485 again in cotton! The pattern calls for a limper fabric, which does look nice, but it actually works just fine in cotton.
The pattern also says you can't fit everything on 3 yards, so I decided to combine some colors in order to make it fit. I used a fun reproduction print from Penny Rose for my main fabric, and intended to go with the gray accent for sleeves and yoke. I had no solid gray in my stash, but did have some purple the right shade - so went with that instead, and I really like the substitute!
I actually think you could fit all the pattern pieces on just 3 yards if you did a bit of squishing - maybe shortened the sleeves and made the belt narrower, etc. But this worked out just fine.
Since this was my second time making the pattern, I made some adjustments this time - shortening the waist, lengthening the skirt a bit (still don't have much hem, so I may lengthen it even more another time), making the belt narrower, and cutting the neck differently.
I took in the neck a good 2 inches in the back to make it not so big (a common complaint with users of this pattern is the neckline fit) and it's still quite large as you can see! I also tried it on and then cut it down to a V instead of the high version the pattern shows. More comfortable.
It was quite easy and quick to put together - even more of course since I'd done it before.
I didn't feel like switching to a darker thread when it came time to top stitch the yoke, so I decided to make it intentional by using a decorative stitch from my machine to do the top stitching. It turned out really lovely, so I tied it in by hemming the sleeves that way also. I had to run the sleeves through the machine backward to make them match, which felt weird, but I love being able to incorporate my vintage machine's decorative elements into a sewing project.
As you can see, by now I am large enough that the original shape of the dress is pretty distorted, but I still think it works well for maternity. And the adjustable waist (or lack of waist, rather) is so comfortable!
I considered doing a button closure, but decided instead to do a zipper closure down the front. This time instead of doing an invisible zipper, I used a regular zipper, then hid it with a top-stitched tab that is stitched to the dress on one side, and snaps on the other. I was very pleased with how it looks, so I may do this again when I don't want to use an invisible zipper down the front.
Because of the tab, though, I can't wrap the ties around the front like I did with my blue version, so I am limited to tying the sash in the back with this dress.
A lot of my summer hats are too formal to pair with a cotton dress like this, so I went with hair flowers instead. I love lavender and gray together! This is actually my only purple dress in my current rotation, so I'm really happy to see some color variation in my closet.
I will of course like how this dress looks much better once I have my waist back, but until then I'm pretty pleased with it as a non-maternity, maternity friendly dress. I'm sure I will wear it a lot the next few months!
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